Meet Shorewood's new staff, elected officials

Trustee Anthony Luciano, Trustee Barbara "Cookie" Kirkland, Clerk Diane Lambert and Trustee Steve Brockman can be seen from left to right. They were sworn in May 14.

The village of Shorewood swore in four recently elected officials and welcomed two new village employees during its regular board of trustees meeting Tuesday.

Village executive assistant Toni Dulny began by swearing in Diane Lambert as clerk. Lambert was appointed to the position two years ago and won a four-year term this year after running unopposed.

She thanked the voters, community and residents for standing behind her and the other candidates.

The village trustees sworn in are Steve Brockman, Barbara “Cookie” Kirkland and Anthony Luciano.

Brockman began his career with the village in 2000 when he served on the Planning and Zoning Commission. After 11 years, he was elected as a trustee.

He also has served on the Citizen Advisory Committee and remains a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission.

“I find it enjoyable, and, as long as I have my health, I thought I would continue to try one more time, and my daughter talked me into it,” Brockman said. “The No. 1 real reason to run again was to see the Lake Michigan water project come to fruition. We also need to concentrate on the public works department.”

Kirkland was on the board of trustees from 1997 to 2003 and currently has been a trustee for five years. She wanted to run again for similar reasons as Brockman – to see projects she has worked on over the years get finished.

“There is stuff in the works I want to see complete, such as the water. I also want to see where the [tax increment financing] funds go and want to see the Towne Center project develop,” Kirkland said.

Having the Public Works Department in one area was also a high priority for Kirkland, as well as Brockman.

The department currently has buildings in various locations around the village.

“They spend so much time in different locations going back and forth between buildings, and equipment is scattered, it would be more efficient if we can get them in one area,” Kirkland said.

Tony Luciano thanked all of the residents who took the time to vote and was thankful for his time on the board the past four years.

“I’m looking forward to the next four years and addressing the challenges that face the village, as far as getting Lake Michigan water and economic development. With that, I thank everybody,” Luciano said.

New village staff included Economic Development Director Kelley Chrisse, who started April 29. Her background includes a planning certification, an architecture degree and a master’s degree in public administration.

She has worked in other municipalities such as Wood Dale, Downers Grove, DeKalb and Plainfield over the past 15 years.

“There is a lot of development opportunity in the community, and I’d like to be able to facilitate that. The idea of community is bringing people together and helping grow the community as a whole, and a lot of that stems from investment,” Chrisse said. “So being able to attract businesses and investment in the community is a key goal for me.”

John Komorowski started as the village building official May 6 and held similar positions in other communities for 10 years before coming to Shorewood.

He previously worked in Schiller Park and Morton Grove.

He said the building official position is pretty much the same from town to town, reviewing plans and making sure construction is built to current code, but this move will help him grow in his career.

“[There’s] a little bit of a learning curve for me here with all of the brand new development and the subdivisions, but, working with staff, everyone has been great to work with, and it will be a good learning experience for me as well,” Komorowski said.